Using open records laws for research purposes

Oltmann, Shannon M.; Knox, Emily J.M.; Peterson, Chris; Musgrave, Shawn

doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2015.11.006

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To learn about challenges in Alabama, we sent an FOI request via postal mail to every public library and public school district in the state-a total of 351 institutions (see Oltmann et al 2015). The letter we sent referenced the Alabama Public Records law and asked for the following information: complaints, requests, and/or challenges for removal, reclassification, and/or reconsideration of publications since January 1, 2003; any current collection or curriculum development policy or policies governing your institution(s); and any records related to Internet filtering.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the state-level freedom of information laws (FOI; also called open records or sunshine laws) to gain access to records and information from public school and libraries. FOI laws generally state that public institutions (and government agencies) must open their records to members of the public upon request (see Oltmann et al 2015, for more details). Because public schools and libraries are public institutions, their records are available to the public; all one must do is cite the FOI law and request certain records (the requests cannot be too broad or vague).…”

Section: Background On the Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Analyzing Challenges to Library Materials: An Incomplete Picture

Oltmann

Peterson

Knox

2017

Public Library Quarterly

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This research project used Freedom of Information requests to obtain public records from Alabama institutions about challenges to materials in public schools and public libraries. Challenges occur when a patron objects to certain content. In this analysis, we examine the records of challenges. The research questions were as follows: How many challenges occur in public schools and libraries? What is the nature of these challenges? Are there institutional or demographic factors that are correlated to the occurrence of challenges? In this exploratory study, the number of reported challenges was surprisingly low. We investigated whether reported challenges were related to certain institutional or demographic factors, but did not find any discernible relationships. The data suggest that most challenged material is retained, but that librarians may be self-censoring to reduce controversy in their collections.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background On the Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing Challenges to Library Materials: An Incomplete Picture

Oltmann

Peterson

Knox

2017

Public Library Quarterly

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The use of open records to gather information on library contracts for negotiating purposes is nearly absent from the literature, 6 but there are accounts of using open records to better understand pricing. 7 Taylor and McMenemy have used open records to collect data on censorship issues in libraries, 8 and Oltmann et al studied how record requests from two states yielded varied results due to differing state laws.…”

Section: Literature Review Transparency and Open Recordsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Contract Negotiations for Library Collections through Open Records Requests

Eye

2023

CRL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Open records requests can be an important tool in obtaining valuable information to use in negotiations with content providers. This paper examines the opportunities libraries have in requesting public information through open records requests to better support their purchasing decisions. The case is made for investing time up front to better understand contract terms and pricing already secured by public entities, using that knowledge to improve their position in the negotiating process.

show abstract

“…In light of the information regarding the manipulation of the election and the persistence of fake news, it is important that all libraries have a policy for Internet use. Many libraries are subject to federal laws concerning the use of filters, but it is important that filters are not overly stringent and do not screen out legal information (Houghton 2010;Oltmann et al 2015). We do not yet know what changes there will be concerning privacy and confidentiality of information with the new administration, but all libraries should have policies that strongly protect their patrons' privacy.…”

Section: Opposing Censorship In Difficult Timesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opposing Censorship in Difficult Times

Knox¹

2017

The Library Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What does it mean to support intellectual freedom under the new administration? How do we uphold our values when many will disagree with the information provided in our institutions? In this short essay I offer a summary of my research on book challengers to better understand why people attempt to censor information. I then argue that, to move forward, librarians and other information professionals must recommit to supporting the principles of intellectual freedom, the code of ethics, and the values of librarianship; review policies; and know their communities-local, state, and national. A s part of my research I receive daily Google alerts on banned books, censorship, intellectual freedom, and book challenges. This helps me remain apprised of what is happening across the country and the world regarding information access. In late January 2017, I received a Google alert that piqued my interest: Animal Farm, George Orwell's allegorical novel, had recently been removed from the curriculum at Stonington Middle School in Mystic, CT (Collins 2017). The board and superintendent insisted that the book had not been banned but simply removed from the curriculum. According to Doyle's (2014) most recent bibliography of challenged books, Animal Farm, a staple of middle school curricula across the country, has not been challenged in the United States since 1987. However, I was not surprised to see the title in my Google alerts, as I suspect that Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World, and other dystopian and antiauthoritarian novels will be challenged many times over the coming years. In the wake of the election, librarians and other information professionals have been asking themselves how to respond to the authoritarian tendencies of the new administration. My own research focuses on information access, particularly intellectual freedom and censorship and what I call "the discourse of censorship" (Knox 2014b, 2015). I am especially concerned with how people justify the control of knowledge and how to respond to such demands for control. In the weeks after the election it became clear to me that access to information in the public sphere would be threatened and that it was important that those on the front lines know how to respond to such threats.

show abstract

Using open records laws for research purposes

Cited by 6 publications

References 14 publications

Analyzing Challenges to Library Materials: An Incomplete Picture

Analyzing Challenges to Library Materials: An Incomplete Picture

Improving Contract Negotiations for Library Collections through Open Records Requests

Opposing Censorship in Difficult Times

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About